Mr. Godfrey Zwygart. (COURTESY PHOTO)

    By BI Weizi

    Captain Godfrey Zwygart, former director and now consultant of Sanya Serenity Marina, has been living in Sanya, Hainan province for more than ten years. He is now more emotionally attached to China after being the first foreigner to receive a green card in this tropical island coastal city.

    Sanya's call

    Zwygart once served in the French Navy and holds a captain's and engineer's license, with experience in sailing all kinds of vessels including warships, cargo ships, sailboats and super yachts. After retiring from the military, he took his extensive sailing experience to Taiwan with a focus on overseeing the construction of large sailing yachts in shipbuilding factories, and also created and managed China's first yacht club.

    In 2010, the yachting industry was on the rise in Sanya and new marina berths were urgently needed. That same year, Zwygart was invited to Sanya to take charge of developing the Sanya Serenity Marina project. "It's not that I chose Sanya, but that Sanya chose me," he said.

    "It was a green island based on agriculture and fishery," said Zwygart when talking about his first impression of the city, adding that the marina was still a barren beach. However, as a man born for challenge, he was eager to make his mark in the city.

    Highest level accreditation

    When it comes to building a marina, it is not just about building a good berth, but also about improving a series of supporting facilities and training staff. "None of the team members had been in contact with the yacht industry, so the work was difficult at first," said Zwygart. Not only was he in charge of the entire supervision of the marina project, he also worked as a part-time teacher, training staff and teaching them how to operate, overhaul and repair.

    A year and a half later, the Sanya Serenity Marina was officially launched and in February 2012, the Volvo Ocean Race was successfully held there, and its reputation grew worldwide.

    Zwygart's expectations did not stop there, as he wanted to make Sanya Serenity Marina the most impressive facility of its kind in China and even in the world. In 2018, the Sanya Serenity Marina received the Platinum Gold Anchor Award, becoming the second marina in the world to receive this award at that time. This award is the highest level of certification, symbolizing that the assessment of the marina's facilities and infrastructure has passed the most rigorous audit assessment on international marina ratings. Zwygart and his team were motivated to contribute even more to the development of China's yachting industry.

    "Native" of Sanya

    "I've been in Sanya for more than ten years, I'm almost a native. Hainan food is very good, I like to eat Qingbuliang (sweet soup) and Wenchang Chicken," he said. He is also a big fan of the snack stores on Xinfeng Street, which offer the authentic flavors of Sanya.

    Neat, beautiful, and energetic are the three words he uses to describe Sanya, where he has witnessed much development during the past decade. "I'm not only able to pursue my career [here], but also enjoy the comfortable and convenient living environment here, so I am very happy to participate in the construction of this city," he said.

    Chinese Government Friendship Award

    Zwygart is happy to share his experience in yacht and marina management, having authored the first Chinese version of The Yacht Management Manual  and  How  to  Build  and  Operate Chinese Marinas Successfully, and was awarded the Coconut Island Award by the Hainan Provincial Government in 2014. In September 2019, he received the Chinese Government Friendship Award for his outstanding contributions to China's modernization and development.

    Hainan is promoting the construction of a pilot free trade zone and a free trade port with Chinese characteristics, while its ever-open entry policy and improved international talent attraction mechanism are attracting more foreigners to work and live in Hainan. Zwygart said that Hainan's future looks very promising, and he hopes to attract more talented people with yachting experience to his business.